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Abandoned Rest Areas

Started by Brandon, January 10, 2014, 01:52:31 PM

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roadman


QuoteThe moose out front should have told you...

"Sorry folks.  Our rest areas are closed for an indefinite period while IDIOT continues to defer maintenance and repair on our highway system.  Sorry!!!"
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)


inkyatari

Quote from: roadman on May 03, 2018, 03:46:44 PM

QuoteThe moose out front should have told you...

"Sorry folks.  Our rest areas are closed for an indefinite period while IDIOT continues to defer maintenance and repair on our highway system.  Sorry!!!"

"The statehouse says you're closed, I say you're open!"
I'm never wrong, just wildly inaccurate.

ErmineNotyours

#227
The Price Creek Rest Area, on I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington.  All my life when I rode past it, it looked like an abandoned rest area.  The state must have later chosen to put up restrooms off the freeway on SR 906 near the ski areas instead.  The westbound rest area was open in winter for Sno-Park parking.  Then a few years ago, they put in primitive toilets in the eastbound rest area, and put up multiple small signs for the rest area by the wide shoulder leading up to the area, where semis often parked by the shores of Lake Keechelus.  Hmm.  I wonder what that was implying?  It turns out, the rest area is right where the state is building an ambitious, large wildlife overcrossing.  Looking in 2015's SR Web coverage of the area, the eastbound camera car drove right through the rest area at freeway speeds, as it was used as a detour.  The intact rest area is still on Google Maps and Street View, but the satellite image shows the area in transition.

Teanaway, at the junctions of routes 970 and 10, is another abandoned rest area.  I have ground level photos somewhere in my collection.  Google Satellite View

(Whoops, didn't see thefraze's similar post upthread.)

ErmineNotyours

Quote from: KEK Inc. on April 17, 2015, 09:47:28 PM
Not sure if this was a rest stop or a weigh station, but here's something in Vancouver, WA.  I-5 NB off the Fourth Plain off-ramp. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.634885,-122.662412,3a,70.5y,20.33h,90.22t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1scDUg3LpF12pmbbp4wHBYRA!2e0

Wow, I remember seeing that Rest Area/Welcome center on old state highway maps, but I could never find where it was driving by.  Thank you.

ErmineNotyours

Here's a detail from the 1978 Washington State Highways map showing that this was a Travel Information Center, not necessarily a rest area.  The interchange diagrams from this map were the reason I am a road geek.

1978 Washington State Highway Map detail showing the Vancouver Travel Information Center by Arthur Allen, on Flickr

thefraze_1020

If you are referring to Travelers' Rest, it has been there for ages.

Check out this link:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/534591418250105176/
Alright, this is how it's gonna be!

D-Dey65

I was looking for something else regarding rest areas, but I have to remind the rest of you of the two that were closed on NY 24/Suffolk CR 94 on the Brookhaven-Riverhead Town Line.

http://gis.ny.gov/gisdata/quads/drg24/dotpreview/index.cfm?code=gg57



roadman65

In my hometown of Clark, NJ we had one that is now a maintenance facility and the Glenside Rest Area in Woodbridge, NJ which is grass now.  Both were listed as picnic areas by the Parkway cause they had no facilities but were closed due to partying and concern by area residents.   Cranford had one as well right north of NJ 28 on the SB Side called Tall Oaks but was closed due to crime in a nearby neighborhood as burglars would use the area at night to park their vans and such, climb the fence, hit some houses, carry the goods in a sack while climbing back over the fence, and then load their vehicles and drive away.  Like Glenside, Tall Oaks pavement is removed and no remnants of the former area are left.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Richard3

https://goo.gl/maps/RPuJnzGeVHrJqHXz7

Not really "abandonned", the "Aire de services Point-du-Jour" (Point-du-Jour services area) was closed about three years ago, in order to be replaced by a brand new Quebec's Services Areas.  The problem is we're still waiting the works to begin. The old buildings are still in place, the parking lots are open, and the restrooms are replaced by a lot of "Johnny-on-the-spot".
- How many people are working in here?
- About 20%.

- What Quebec highways and Montreal Canadiens have in common?
- Rebuilding.

States/provinces/territories I didn't went in: AB, AK, AL, BC, HI, KS, LA, MB, MN, MS, MT, ND, NL, NT, NU, RI, SD, SK, WA, WI, YT.  Well, I still have some job to do!

GCrites

I've been comparing maps, and boy has Ohio abandoned/demolished/closed a lot of non-Interstate rest areas in the past 10-15 years. Like a ton. I'm thinking that I'm going to start driving around and photographing them.

D-Dey65

Quote from: GCrites80s on July 28, 2019, 10:44:07 AM
I've been comparing maps, and boy has Ohio abandoned/demolished/closed a lot of non-Interstate rest areas in the past 10-15 years. Like a ton. I'm thinking that I'm going to start driving around and photographing them.
You should. I would if I were you. Unfortunately I haven't been to Ohio since 1983, and at least two of my Ohio-based relatives are dead, and their kids have moved to other parts of the country (and possibly the state), so I have very little call to visit the Buckeye State.






US71

There was one on I-40 near I-440 west of Little Rock, but it appears that is going to now be the site of a new interchange
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Revive 755

Quote from: inkyatari on March 09, 2018, 03:55:35 PM
I've noticed a distinct lack of Illinois in this thread, so here's a few that I guess get in on technicalities.

First, here's this on I-39.  it was just a semi parking area when this stretch of I-39 first opened. It was never a full rest area with facilities...

In retrospect, it looks like a closed weigh station, but I could have sworn there was a closed truck parking lot...

https://goo.gl/maps/rq6DDSVpRCU2

The overall design is more for a weight station - rest areas in Illinois don't usually have the 'loop' roadway.  Here's the weigh station on EB I-80 just after the IL 84 for comparison.

D-Dey65

#238
Quote from: US71 on July 28, 2019, 06:27:04 PM
There was one on I-40 near I-440 west of Little Rock, but it appears that is going to now be the site of a new interchange
That happens too. There used to be a pair of small parking areas with picnic tables and cooking grilles off of NY 27 until Suffolk CR 97 was built, but the parking areas were left on the maps for decades, even after they upgraded the widened intersection to the cloverleaf interchange with service roads that NYSDOT originally wanted.

And unless I'm mistaken, the interchange between I-10 and the First Coast Expressway replaced some rest areas in Duval County, FL.



GCrites

Quote from: GCrites80s on July 28, 2019, 10:44:07 AM
I've been comparing maps, and boy has Ohio abandoned/demolished/closed a lot of non-Interstate rest areas in the past 10-15 years. Like a ton. I'm thinking that I'm going to start driving around and photographing them.

I just wrote down all the ones from just South Central Ohio and the counties surrounding Columbus and it totaled 36 closed rest areas going back to the '60s. Appalachian Ohio was totally packed with primitive rest areas -- many on seemingly-insignificant 3-digit state routes. As you can imagine, most were primitive. This is going to be a big job. I don't know if I can do the whole state. I'm not including the older "roadside parks" that were just a small parking lot and some picnic tables either.

Richard3

https://goo.gl/maps/dNPLwSfHCcvvzHdC9

What about this one, close to MM112 of the Adirondack Northway (I-87 SB)?
- How many people are working in here?
- About 20%.

- What Quebec highways and Montreal Canadiens have in common?
- Rebuilding.

States/provinces/territories I didn't went in: AB, AK, AL, BC, HI, KS, LA, MB, MN, MS, MT, ND, NL, NT, NU, RI, SD, SK, WA, WI, YT.  Well, I still have some job to do!

D-Dey65

Quote from: Marc_in_CT on January 14, 2014, 04:19:32 PM
And here's a pair from I-95 in SC.  I passed through here about a year ago also, and I believe these buildings were also still standing.https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=34.279502,-79.685222&spn=0.003005,0.005107&t=h&z=18

Quote from: Zzonkmiles on December 03, 2014, 04:02:06 PM
I don't know the specific mile markers offhand, but I know there's a closed down rest area on I-20 around MM 45 and on I-95 somewhere between Florence and the NC state line.
I've mentioned this one before. It's around MM 171, and the buildings are gone now. It's that one I've always felt drawn to and I wanted to go there in 2010 to find out why, only to find out SCDOT closed it before my road trip that year.





planxtymcgillicuddy

#242
Four of them on I-77 got knocked out when the Olin median rest area opened up: This one at Hamptonville, NC, this one at Harmony, NC, and this one at Mooresville, NC (there's a southbound one as well across the highway from this one).

AFAIK, all four got reverted into grass, though there is some traces of them around, particularly at the former NB Mooresville rest area, where storm drains are still present
It's easy to be easy when you're easy...

Quote from: on_wisconsin on November 27, 2021, 02:39:12 PM
Whats a Limon, and does it go well with gin?

cl94

Quote from: Richard3 on July 30, 2019, 05:13:12 AM
https://goo.gl/maps/dNPLwSfHCcvvzHdC9

What about this one, close to MM112 of the Adirondack Northway (I-87 SB)?

This pair and the one just north of Exit 27 were removed with the opening of the current rest areas at MM 100. The NB in both spots has been retained as a parking area.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

TheOneKEA

Quote from: Bitmapped on April 16, 2015, 10:36:58 PM
There is abandoned rest area along US 219 near Keysers Ridge, MD. The large parking lot with a scenic view remains.  There is a modern building there with flush restrooms but it's been fenced off since about 2009. Google Maps Street View: http://goo.gl/maps/Oi8jq

There are also the remains of an old rest area along Scenic US 40 atop Sideling Hill west of Hancock, MD.  The facilities are still there but they're blocked off and No Trespassing signs are poste.d GMSV: http://goo.gl/maps/N96FM

The rest area along US 219 might not count; this page claims that the parking lot is open and available. I passed by that rest area recently and the parking lot appeared to be open.

I think these are the only abandoned, or partially abandoned, rest areas in all of MD. Some of the rest areas have been downgraded, closed for a time and then reopened, or have been closed, rebuilt and reopened, but the SHA and the MDTA have generally retained the rest areas that exist today. I'd argue that the only underserved through highway that could use a rest area of some sort is US 340, in the vicinity of Catoctin Creek.

planxtymcgillicuddy

Not sure if this was an abandoned rest stop or weigh station, but there's this west of Statesville, NC (there was one WB as well)

This would lead me to believe it was a weigh station, but a very small one
It's easy to be easy when you're easy...

Quote from: on_wisconsin on November 27, 2021, 02:39:12 PM
Whats a Limon, and does it go well with gin?

TheHighwayMan3561

I saw a couple in Montana this week on I-90. They just left the structures and let the overgrowth take over the property.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

jmacswimmer

#247
Quote from: TheOneKEA on December 30, 2019, 05:26:37 PM
Quote from: Bitmapped on April 16, 2015, 10:36:58 PM
There is abandoned rest area along US 219 near Keysers Ridge, MD. The large parking lot with a scenic view remains.  There is a modern building there with flush restrooms but it's been fenced off since about 2009. Google Maps Street View: http://goo.gl/maps/Oi8jq

There are also the remains of an old rest area along Scenic US 40 atop Sideling Hill west of Hancock, MD.  The facilities are still there but they're blocked off and No Trespassing signs are poste.d GMSV: http://goo.gl/maps/N96FM

The rest area along US 219 might not count; this page claims that the parking lot is open and available. I passed by that rest area recently and the parking lot appeared to be open.

I think these are the only abandoned, or partially abandoned, rest areas in all of MD. Some of the rest areas have been downgraded, closed for a time and then reopened, or have been closed, rebuilt and reopened, but the SHA and the MDTA have generally retained the rest areas that exist today. I'd argue that the only underserved through highway that could use a rest area of some sort is US 340, in the vicinity of Catoctin Creek.

There might possibly be one other pair of abandoned rest areas in Maryland, both on I-70:
-The eastbound truck rest area (no facilities) before exit 68
-The westbound weigh station after exit 80

Both contain a still-paved, but blocked off, parking area for (presumably) cars.

I-66 also has a pair of abandoned rest areas on the western section:
-eastbound before exit 6 (still open for truck parking, but no facilities)
-westbound after exit 18 (completely abandoned)

FWIW, I'm somewhat surprised that the rest area pair further east near Manassas continues to hangs on.
"Now, what if da Bearss were to enter the Indianapolis 5-hunnert?"
"How would they compete?"
"Let's say they rode together in a big buss."
"Is Ditka driving?"
"Of course!"
"Then I like da Bear buss."
"DA BEARSSS BUSSSS"

planxtymcgillicuddy

Quote from: jmacswimmer on June 27, 2020, 06:44:04 PM
Quote from: TheOneKEA on December 30, 2019, 05:26:37 PM
Quote from: Bitmapped on April 16, 2015, 10:36:58 PM
There is abandoned rest area along US 219 near Keysers Ridge, MD. The large parking lot with a scenic view remains.  There is a modern building there with flush restrooms but it's been fenced off since about 2009. Google Maps Street View: http://goo.gl/maps/Oi8jq

There are also the remains of an old rest area along Scenic US 40 atop Sideling Hill west of Hancock, MD.  The facilities are still there but they're blocked off and No Trespassing signs are poste.d GMSV: http://goo.gl/maps/N96FM

The rest area along US 219 might not count; this page claims that the parking lot is open and available. I passed by that rest area recently and the parking lot appeared to be open.

I think these are the only abandoned, or partially abandoned, rest areas in all of MD. Some of the rest areas have been downgraded, closed for a time and then reopened, or have been closed, rebuilt and reopened, but the SHA and the MDTA have generally retained the rest areas that exist today. I'd argue that the only underserved through highway that could use a rest area of some sort is US 340, in the vicinity of Catoctin Creek.

There might possibly be one other pair of abandoned rest areas in Maryland, both on I-70:
-The eastbound truck rest area (no facilities) before exit 68
-The westbound weigh station after exit 80

Both contain a still-paved, but blocked off, parking area for (presumably) cars.

I-66 also has a pair of abandoned rest areas on the western section:
-eastbound before exit 6 (still open for truck parking, but no facilities)
-westbound after exit 18 (completely abandoned)

FWIW, I'm somewhat surprised that the rest area pair further east near Manassas continues to hangs on.

That I-66 Exit 18 rest area was never opened. It was fully built, paved, etc, but was never opened. Why, I don't know.
It's easy to be easy when you're easy...

Quote from: on_wisconsin on November 27, 2021, 02:39:12 PM
Whats a Limon, and does it go well with gin?

Harvestman

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet, but I-275 in Cincinnati had a pair of rest areas pretty close to the Milford exits. I don't know when they were decommissioned. Still fairly common to see oversize loads and state troopers parked on the ramps.  Kind of bizarre for a rest area to exist on 275 at all since there's no more than 15-20 miles between exits at any given point.

...also, does anyone know why the EB I-74 rest area near Batesville, Indiana was closed and demolished while the WB rest area remained open? Both were active until they started the repaving project a couple years ago.



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